Kaffrey

Kaffrey sat on the back of her horse looking into the countryside. This was not her idea of fun and she felt more comfortable back at home with all her predictable friends, even if calling them friends was a stretch of the imagination. But there was safety in numbers and one was definitely not safe. A whoosh past her ear made her grin. Kaffrey looked up into the sky at the little red and blue specs that brought her on her journey. She sighed, knowing she had made the decision when she set off to take care of the drakes.


A click of her tongue and a squeeze of her knees sent the plodding pony down the hill and into the valley where there had to be other drakes waiting. What would they make of her? Would she fit in or would it be more of the same? Taunting, teasing, loneliness? Kaffrey rode steadily south and out into the mountainous regions that were not always covered with snow. This was her third day of the trip and she and the drakes were falling into a bit of a pattern. She found a good place to sleep and they found something to eat for themselves while she boiled the little bit of grain that she had brought along for food. It was not the best thing that she had even eaten, but at the end of a long day warm food was good food.

She pulled her knees up as the little fire crackled, blackening the bottom of her little pot further. Then slowly as she waited, they began to arrive, one by one dropping to the ground in front of her. The first was a dark sapphire blue, wrongly called Garnet by her little sister. But the name stuck and arguing with a three year old was less effective than trying to take down a barn with your head. Garnet stretched her little wings and looked at the fire longingly.

“Not yet little princess,” Kaffrey told her soothingly, “My dinner is not done yet.”

Garnet squawked her discontent, but curled up as closely to the flames as she could manage. As soon as she was settled Kite came in after her, a burgundy red, who would have managed the name Garnet without so many odd looks. He hissed softly at her before taking his place by her. When they were both settled, the other four came toppling over each other out of the sky. They were all lighter than Garnet and Kite, lightening as they showed less dominance in the group. Kiran stuck her tail in the fire and sighed happily; Korin snapped at her and then lay down over that tail to show his disapproval. Fillipa ignored them and came to lay by Kaffrey’s leg and Gurin stayed grumpily in the cold shadows.

“Oh Gurin, don’t pout,” Kaffrey grinned putting her arms out to the drake.

He looked at the others, who for the most part ignored him, and then skulked over to climb into Kaffrey’s arms. He was big to hold, like a large lamb, but to soft and plush. His scales were still smooth and pliable, but that was already changing as they were slowly replaced by harder adult ones. Gurin was the least dominant, and thus tolerated being treated like a baby more than the others. He was a fine powder pink, which was unnaturally dull even for a completely subservient drake. At last the porridge bubbled and looked thick enough to not have any crunch left, so Kaffrey set the irritated like Gurin down and set about eating and blowing on her fingers.

All six drakes took the opportunity to quash the fire and hum happily laying over the coals. Kaffrey shook her head at them, glad that she would soon have them in a warm enough place to keep them happy. The dust bowl was not a highly inhabitable place unless you were a dragon and then it was paradise. Luckily for those who maintained the company of dragons, there were nearby hills and stream that kept people at least only mildly miserable in the hot weather, or so Kaffrey had been told. She hoped it was a good choice. There was no way that her drakes could have survived much longer in the cold mountains where she lived. But it had been hard to leave her parents and little sister to go off with the wing of drakes. They had coaxed and cooed at her, until she was brave enough to speak with her parents, who had smiled and told her they had been expecting this conversation for weeks.

That had not been the reaction Kaffrey had been expecting. She had expected that Mam and Papa would let her go, but she had also expected a little more dragging of feet through the process, but as it had gone, they had all but kicked her out the door with a wave and a smile. Little Kenzie had sobbed and pulled on her dress as she saddled the pony, but she had stilled when Kaffrey had promised she could visit the grown dragon any time she wanted. And so she had ridden out of Stobalt, through the thick lumber stockades and away from the miles of pens to the open countryside. Kaffrey was a city raised girl and grateful for the help of the drakes as they waited for her plodding progress Southward. It would take no less than three weeks for them to reach the edges of the desert where they might have their first sighting of full grown dragons.

The very idea thrilled Kaffrey enough that she bolted down the rest of her food and snuggled down at the heads of the wings where it was warm, but not scalding hot. Everyone sighed in contentment and was asleep in moments.



Chapter 1



The land stretched out flat for further than Kaffrey could imagine. It must have been so very deceptively far to the hazy shadows on the other side of the sand. And sand it was. They had come down out of steep snowy mountains, which had slowly given way to scrub land, and then sand. Vast and flat. The drakes were whistling happily on one of the warm updrafts while Kaffrey sat on her pony seeking the nerve to ride out across the nothing, with no idea of where to go. It was not so dangerous at this time of year as it would be in the high heat, but she had no idea of the things she would need to bring to find her way to the dragons lair. And part of her was terrified to think it might be on the other side of the vastness. So she sat there, not willing to allow her pony onto the sand.

Kaffrey swung down, and the drake’s happy songs changed. They winged down to her and made concerned noises in the backs of their throats. She looked at them with teary eyes.

“I don’t know where to go. I haven’t a clue what to take, and that place scares me.” She pointed out across the land.

Most of their heads swiveled to look the way her finger was pointing, and they made encouraging sounds.

“I am sure you know where we’re going, but I am still little and this…” She sat down on the shockingly hard ground, beginning to cry properly.

Her pouting was swiftly interrupted by a heavy gust of wind. Kaffrey looked up at the descending magenta dragon. She was far darker than any of her little drakes, and huge. They pony shied, pulling hard on the lead rope. It took all of Kaffrey’s concentration to keep the pony in place, which pulled her mind away from her worries of where she was to go.

“Hello little one,” I pretty female voice chimed.

Kaffrey looked over her shoulder at the dark skinned golden haired lady on the back of the dragon. She nodded at her, pulling the pony again to try and keep control.

The rider chuckled.

Kaffrey looked up at her again.

“Horses don’t get along with carnivores all that well.” She suggested unhelpfully.

“And what do you propose that I do with her?” Demanded Kaffrey.

The woman chuckled again, “I think I am going to like you. You have spunk. I just came here to give you supplies and a map to get to the lairs. I will meet you there and your beast will be placed with the others where she will feel safe.”

Kaffrey nodded over her shoulder, aching with a hundred things to ask, not to mention the burning desire to stare. But the stupid pony was taking all her attention, and she had no idea where her wing was. A few heavy thuds hit the ground behind her made her look back at the parcels and pouch on the ground, but then she had to guard her eyes as the dragon took to the air. It pumped the loose sand across her, giving her instant windburn. Finally when they were high enough in the sky for the silly pony to relax, Kaffrey looked up, gleeful at the sight of the circling predator. She sighed, well at least someone knew they were coming. She glanced over to see her wing crouched low under the scrubs, all looking lighter than usual.

“Cowards,” She scolded, holding her arms out to them. “You would think you were as brainless as my pony here when you hide like that.”

They made sad noises in their throats, trying to coax petting and comfort out of their makeshift mother. She cuddled and played with them until their color was mostly back and then went to pick up her bags. There was lots of water and white powder, which turned out to be salt, and a map. It was not like any map that Kaffrey had seen before, so she sat down to look at it and try to figure out which marking meant what. In the end she gave up and just went looking for one of them. She figured the triangles were water, and there were only a few of them and the exes were trees sufficient to shade her wing, which left the big circle which must be the Lairs. But they were discouragingly far.

Kaffrey sat down under one of the large trees panting in the heat. The little drakes all lay out in the sun their wings stretched to their full extent, while Kaffrey stayed as close to the deep shade of the trunk as she could manage. She waited for a long time there looking at her map and deciding if it was worth it to try and make it to the next tree. Finally she decided that she was going to have to try otherwise she was never going to make it there.

“Come in Drakes I need to talk to you.” She called and they lumbered into the shade looking irritated to have to leave the warmth they were enjoying. But still they sat down obediently and waited for Kaffrey to speak.

“I am going to need your help if we are going to make it to the Lairs this week. Can you all try to fly between me and the sun to keep me in shadow? I know it will be hard and you will have to work together, but I think I am going to melt here.” She sighed, looking at each of their airs of perfect eyes. They bobbed at her and took to the air. Kaffrey waited for a moment as they got into a spiraling formation before she stepped back out into the blistering heat. Somehow they twirled and moved keeping the sun off her which did a lot to improve both her temper and temperature. Kaffrey took licks of the salt and swigs of the water, shuddering with every lick and wanting to throw it back up, but the rider must have known what she would need. The pony, on the other hand, was not at all displeased with the salt when she offered it and lapped it up happily. When at last the sun began to head toward the horizon, Kaffrey and her wing were near a water marking. It stood with two palms and she would normally have passed it by without another thought. But the wing landed happily and everyone drank until they could not stop drinking.

Kaffrey unfortunately went too far and ended up emptying her guts into the sand.

“That is usually something you want to avoid in the middle of the sands,” an amused voice teased.

Kaffrey jumped to her feet and glared into the darkness. The drakes rushed to her and hissed as well.

“Interesting,” the voice continued.

“Show yourself,” Kaffrey demanded, sounding far more brave than she should have been given the situation.

The voice chuckled and a match struck, the smell of sulfur thick as the desert bugs began to sing. The other voice belonged to a young man, not that much older than Kaffrey, but definitely having a few years on her. She was hesitant of this stranger, especially with his handsome smile and carfreeness. This was not her home and she was not sure of how to behave here. Kaffrey took a step back from him and he chuckled again, his black hair falling into his face as he did.

--came over hissing at him and was soon followed by the rest of the wing, unwilling to be outdone by a female. Kaffrey let her hand hang down so that she could rub their dry scales. She noticed that the amusement was gone from the boy’s face, but it gave her courage enough that they must now be on opposingly unequal ground.

“So you are off to join the monsters huh?” He demanded, not as friendly as before.

Kaffrey nodded, “I am. And you?”

He shrugged looking away, “Too bad, I thought you seemed nice enough.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

He shrugged and looked away, “Nothing I…” he looked away again. “It was nice to meet you, I must go.”

His sudden shyness made Kaffrey want to know more about him, suddenly he had gone from terrifying to illusive. “Why? Am I not supposed to even know your name?”

The boy stopped, his hair, flipping forward as he halted suddenly. He turned grinning at her, “And what good would knowing my name be when you will spend all your days doing the bidding of the dragon masters?”

Kaffrey worried her lip, “I am sure to have some free time, we might still be friends of you live close.”

He chuckled, “You have no idea how things work around here do you? The dragoneers have little if nothing to do with the rest of the sands people. That is unless they have a bone to pick with us and then they exact their own justice. You and I cannot be friends because someday you will be asked to punish me for something.”

Kaffrey looked away, “I won’t.”

The boy laughed, turning about the rest of the way to face her again, “You are young and from another part, but with your pack you will be set high tasks. I am sure you and I will cross paths in an unfortunate way in the future.”

“What exactly do you do?” Kaffrey demanded, wondering if she had made the wrong assumptions about him.

The boy laughed, “I am a nomad, what I do, I do.”

Kaffrey did not like that response. “Well I suppose if you do not want to know me then that is your choice.” Kaffrey went back to the water and began sipping it more slowly.

He smiled, walking up by her side and handing her dried meat, “I will be your friend Kaffrey, but know that we are much like the Hinds and the Hounds or will be in the future.”

Kaffrey nodded taking the offering.

“I am Asif.” He smiled looking at her with his teasing grin again.

The drakes were more accepting of him and did not hiss once Kaffrey had decided to be brave. But the crowded around her just incase she changed her mind.

“Hello Asif, I am Kaffrey.” She looked down and away, still a bit intimidated by the certainty in his eyes.

“You are from a long way Kaffrey?” He asked sitting carefully in the sand.

Kaffrey nodded, “A large city in the North. With lots of people and lots of things to buy, nothing like this place here.”

“You would like the bazaar here Kaffrey. It is full of smells and colors and things to look at, maybe it would make you feel not so much lonely for this Northern city of yours.” He grinned biting into another piece of meat.

“Is it always open at the same time?” She imagined what it must be like all kinds of shops painted nicely like in the north.

Asif laughed softly, “It is a city of tents that moves with the seasons, but it will come here soon and I am sure that even your dragoneers will allow you to come there.” He looked into the sand.

Kaffrey nodded, “Then where shall I meet you?”

Asif grinned back at her, “I will meet you in the spice merchants’ row. I am sure with your friends you will not be that hard to find.”

Kaffrey smiled stroking -- fondly.

“Now you should get going, it is better travel at night, even if the drakes do not like it that well. You have a long way to go and your pony will be able to hold you in the dark. Be sure to feed yourselves well with something warm, then be off. A watering hole is no place to spend too much time, even with your drakes it might bring you more trouble than you are prepared for.”

Kaffrey nodded and Asif made her a small fire before disappearing into the darkness, humming an oddly dissonant song. Kaffrey made hot mash for herself and the pony, then swung up and amidst the complaints of the drakes made their way further into the sands. The night was full of other sounds that were unusual to Kaffrey, there were small chirping bug, odd flying birds, and the rustle of the drakes walking in the sand. As they passed things would silence, but the animals could be heard out in the distance. Kaffrey tired to imagine what they were all like, but found that her mind kept wandering in one of two directions, the first was her destination and how the dragons would be housed; the second was disconcertingly Asif. She could not keep the image of his grin, his laughing eyes, or his predictions out of her mind. What was her destination like that local people would not have the best of relationships with the dragoneers? Where she was from they were the most well loved of people and they were treated like royalty. It appeared that things were not the same here in more ways than she had expected.

By the time the sun finally began to cast light on false dawn, the whole party was dead on their feet. Kaffrey led them to a shaded place and they all flopped down, taking their rations of salt, water, and food before passing out from exhaustion. The drakes inevitably lay where the sun would warm their wings in the coming hours, while Kaffrey and the pony lay as close to the tree as they could manage, hoping for shade and a long sleep. But the long sleep was cut to a short one as the day became unbearably hot again and Kaffrey woke. Her dreams had been no better than her waking thoughts, but as she sat sipping water and looking at the map, she was sure they were more than half way there. Asif had been right, traveling at night was a far better choice and she was glad he had given her such good advice. Maybe he would turn out to be a helpful friend and not what he assumed, a dangerous opponent.